Lucid Nightmares
by Ryss Alsief
Summary: (post calamity) David isnt used to his powers, and it seems he hasn't gotten over his father's death. When a new Epic arrives and reopens old wounds for David, will he be able to handle it? or lose his life fighting it off
1. chapter 1

It had been weeks since the fall of Calamity and yet it seemed like years. David felt a calm breeze as he sat on the tallest building he could find staring over the city he'd taken back from Steelheart a year ago.

He looked down at his hand, the hand that had been crushed by Steelheart that fateful day, flexing it. He looked back over the city slinging his rifle over his shoulder to look through the scope and get a better look at the people shuffling on the streets quickly to their own respective destinations.

He lowered his rifle gazing aimlessly at the steel buildings covered with mismatching paint that was haphazardly placed on the buildings to give them a sembolence of life. David sighed stepping back looking back down at his hand feeling the tingle of power at the tips of his fingers. He pushed back the feeling of power, he hated it the tingling in his fingers, he had to hold back this power.. this power that wasn't his.

These are Steelhearts powers, a voice said in his head they're not right.. He clenched his fist. He's only had to use his powers occasionally he used to want to use them regularly to help others but it just felt.. wrong. To use the power of someone who'd taken so much from these people, tormented them.. killed them, he couldn't stand them despite them also being the powers of his father ,who had tried to help him control them become practiced with them. He turned on his movie patching into the others who seemed to really want to talk to him.

"David," Profs voice rang in his ears, "We have reports of a hostile epic nearby your current location, we're sending Megan and Abraham over to you for assistance I need you to go in and find out what they're up to," David gave a quiet "Mhmm" to indicate his understanding of the given task.

"On it, Prof," He said before making his way down the side of the building via the steel fire escape. He slid down the elongated ladder and onto the ground. Not the greatest spot for a gunman of his caliber but right now he wasn't a gunman, a Reckoner, or an epic. He was regular old David, average citizen, he put up the hood of his jacket to hide his face looking around.

"Any details on what they look like," David asked in hushed tones, he found that he soon received a few photos and some info on this... Lucid or whatever. Strange name for an epic but then again all of them were strange. What was even more strange then the name was what little info they had on her. David opened and read the file as he scanned the area.

Female, 38, Marta Juenios, seemed to be some kind of illusionist, secondary power: Can create a dark, thick mist, believed to be Poisonous (theorized to cause swelling of the throat that leads to an inability to breathe) . Well that didn't sound good.

She could poison the whole city in a matter of minutes if they didn't stop her fast. He continued to read occasionally glancing at the photo. She looked Hispanic, her hair dyed a dark shade of lavender, most of her face was covered by a mask, but he could see her eyes which had a distinct drooping look to them and her eyes were strangely enough purple looking, though it seemed more like a dark blue now that he thought about it.

David continued until he saw a dark figure make it's way into an abandoned building, though it may not be entirely abandoned seeing as some people may have taken refuge there. He wondered why he hadn't heard from Abraham or Megan yet as he walked in following the figure who was wearing a dark hooded jacket. He turned unmuted his voice to Megan and Abraham moving close to the figure holding his rifle tightly in his hands using the scope to look closer. The figure removed their hood revealing Marta or Lucid underneath, she fluffed her hair out brushing tangled strands out of it before glancing around. She pushed her hair away from her ears making a clicking noise with her tongue.

What is she doing? He thought leaning closer to see, in the moment she turned her head in his direction. They locked eyes. There was no time to think, no time to hide, no time to decide whether what he was about to do was the right thing to do or not. He wished he had that time. He whipped around the corner his rifle trained on her head his finger on the trigger as a sweet smell hit his nose.

The mist.

It smelled of grapes, causing the world around him to warp and misshapen becoming something else. He shook his head temporarily gaining a visual on Lucid as she charged for him, he seemed to move slower not having enough time to back away as her hand grasped at his face scraping the skin of his cheeks. He pushed her back the world warping around him once more.

A familiar scene surrounded him.. a bank. He looked around taking in every aspect of it, the bank that had been engrained into his memory was here in front of him. And before him layed his father crumbled up in pain from the push that he could only assume was caused by him. He could hear his heart beat in his ear along with distant whispers calling his name, scraping his ears, he pulled out his ear piece chucking it at the moving figure standing in front of his broken father.

He could could hear laughter, all around him, his breath became labored and shallow as he looked around him. Eyes staring him down judging him for what he's done to his own father. The bank began to fade the normal world coming back to him for a second. In that second he saw her his arm and gun moving faster than he could tell it to stop shooting at her but the bullets didn't make their target.. No they hid something else.

Megan ,who'd been running for as long as it took for Cody to finish one story about Scottland and the wee fairies that stole his home, cursed repeatedly through her mobile subjecting Abraham to a muttered rant about David not having his line open for communication and how she was going to kick his good-looking @ss for it. She followed the location on her map leading her to where his mobile was supposed to be located.

She breathed worriedly, it wasn't like David to go quiet like this, especially on a mission like this. She suddenly heard a bunch of activity from his end of the line. Running, panting, laughter, none of which sat well with her. There was a clattering sound and then silence followed by a single gunshot. She stopped the sound was low she tried her best to hear it turning up the sound on her mobile to hear better.

"David?" She called out. No response. She called out again as she began to run again picking up speed after he didn't answer the third time.

Suddenly there was a scream, it was loud and frightening, filled with anguish and grief. It was his voice.

She broke into a sprint going as fast as she possibly could to the location which was close by enough that she could hear the scream even without her mobile. She skidded to a halt seeing a dark mist flowing out the open cracks on the building.

Oh no.. David no. She covered her face with a thick cloth mask, running in the whole place was darkened and hard to see the mist having no where to go so it just remained stationary low to the floor like a dark cloud. Megan told Abraham to issue a clearing of the area before she started busting through the windows which took some effort to break. After most of the mist had cleared she continued onward hearing a faint but heavy breathing. She raced forward seeing David on his knees, his hands covering his ears, his face was flushed red, his cheeks cut and bloodied. He was crying. Whispering to himself telling "them" to stop.

Megan wasted no time standing there, her body practically moving for her as she went to his side grasping his shoulders. She stared into his eyes which held a faint purple hue.

"David, David can you hear me?!" She asked, he didn't respond he only shook a bit lowering his head to his knees.

"It's my fault, " she heard him say, she hefted him up, taking his face into her hands trying to get him to look at her. She felt the wetness of tears and blood drippng and running against her hand.

She patched into Prof not knowing what else to do still holding David's face in her direction.

"Prof, there's something wrong with David, I think it has something to do with that mist stuff that was here," She explained tapping against David's cheek to snap him out of his trance.

"The mist?" Knighthawks voice chimed in, "Was it.. how much did he breathe in?" She was asked. Megan couldn't answer that question.

"I don't know, a lot?" She said seeing that he's finally reacted to her tapping his eyes slowly moving to look at her hand.

"You're dealing with Lucid correct? What information do you have on her?" Knighthawk asked. Megan sighed telling him all she could remember from the file groaning as David became unresponsive again, shaking more vigorously, his breathing seemed to become more labored.

"That's some dated information, that mist is what causes illusions of your worst fears or trauma, it doesn't do much other than that but depending on what the person sees or what he sees he could be in danger of losing his life." Knighthawk explained. Megan held David in her arms trying to imagine what he could be seeing.

It's my fault..

She let put a short gasp before a ripple began to open up beside her, she left her shivering mess of a boyfriend for a moment before coming back with someone else in tow.

David didn't want to look.. He didn't want to look into his father's eyes, he didn't want to hear the shouts of horror from the people around him. He scratched at his ears kept his eyes cast to the to the floor, the sound of his own heart beat in his heard seemed to drown out the whispers but the screams.

He felt two hands grasp his shoulders they were strong, familiar. A familiar scent hit his nose banishing the sickeningly sweet scent of grapes. The bank warped around him, he lifted his head meeting with his father's eyes and then another. Blaine, Steelheart from the other world, stared at him worry filled his expression.

"Dad.." He felt himself get pulled into a hug, a hand ran itself through his hair, he felt the wetness of tears on his cheeks.

"Its okay, it's okay now, don't worry. Don't worry."

That was the last thing he heard before passing out.

to be continued


	2. Some time

My David..

My little David...

I'm sorry...

David woke staring at the blank steel cieling above him, he could feel tears pricking the edges of his eyes as he continued to stare upwards. He didn't know why he was carryong and he coulsnt stop it. He wiped away the tears as he sat up surveying the room that appeared to be his room in the Reckoners shared apartment. The room was dark and without the blanket on him it was pretty cold. A blanket.. He looked down of course to no surprise he was on a bed with three blankets covering him, why he needed three was a mystery to him. His eyes scannscanned the room again finding a familiar figure slumped in the corner fast alseep.

Megan.

He just stared at her, her perfect golden hair drooped from the hair ties she'd put it up with it cascaded down her shoulders like golden waterfalls. She was so beautiful when she slept, he noted. He only tore his eyes away when he saw movement from the otherside of the room but upon looking it didn't look like anyone was there.. Of course with it being so dark his eyes could've been playing tricks on him but he swore he saw him..

He shook his head deciding it was time to get out of bed and see what was going on, trying to rack his brain to remember what happened to him to get him there in that bed. Last he remembered he was on patrol, a woman, the smell of grapes. His body shook at the thought, he couldn't understand it though it was just a smell. He calmed the shaking pushing back the cloth they used as a door entering an almost empty hallway and a just as empty Living Room. Cody glanced up from a paper at the sound of David's arrival taking a double take before going to the young mans side.

" 'Ey David nice to see you up and about, are you feeling alright?" Cody asked taking his arm leading him to the frozen sofa covered in cushions to soften the steel enough that it was confortable to sit on.

"Uh yeah, don't know why I wouldn't be. Where is everyone?" He asked taking a seat on the sofa looking out the window where the steel had been carved out. It was Night time, late but not late enough as he heard people bustling about the city from where he was sitting. It seemed colder than he'd remembered. and louder.

He rubbed his arms feeling the warmth of Cody's jacket surrpund him.

"The others," He started as he adjusted the jacket appropriately, "They're still put searching for Lucid or whatever her name was, they've been searching for about a month now," he finished abruptly as if he'd said something he shouldn't have.

"A-A month but I thought.. Didn't she just appear in Newcago?" he asked Cody sighed not makong eye contact then finally he said.

"Yeah she did.. A month ago," David didn't know what to say he couldn't comprehend what was going on his memories still a jumbled mess.

"What happened Cody?" He asked finally and like before Cody was hesitant to answer.

"I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you enough that you're not so confused. You have to promise not to pry further though or I won't tell you." Cody seemed serious his voice stern his accent seemingly nonexistent, David gave a nod tucking the coat further around himself.

"There was an accident involving Lucid that put you out of commision, since then we've been trying to track her to.. help you. At the time we thought she was the only one who could revers- who cpuld help you but it seems all you needed was time.. about a months time.." He finished David shot up from the sofa racing as fast as his body could to the bathroom, despite the reflective properties of the steel around him nothing worked better than a mirror. He skidded to a stop in frony of the mirror not noticing Cody had followed him. He looked at himself.. Pathetic. He looked so Pathetic. His skin was so sick looking, his hair was a mess, he looked like he was turning to skin and bones. He looked down at his hands and arms, they didn't look that bad but they didn't look healthy either.

He felt like throwing up.. which he did. He felt a strpng hand on his back soothing him as he gasped his head close to resting on the toilet seat. He felt himself being lifted up to his feet the next few things he did, didn't feel like he was doing them, he felt like he was just watching himself do them. Eating was one of them, showering, changing his clothes.

Megan finally woke up after his meltdown at the toilet freaking out that he wasn't in bed anympre only to find him sipping soup at the table dressed on Codys coat. They spent the next hour talking about what had happened in the month that he was out. Apparently his dad came to visit.. A lot through Megans powers always coming to check on his condition or stay with him so he wouldn't be lonely though how could someone who's in a "coma" get lonely? Well Dawnslight does gets lonely on occasion but he's different.

"If it wasn't for Prof and Knighthawks equipment we could've lost you," Megan said solemnly David gave a nod as she continued, "though your powers did help a bit also, with your invulnerabilty an all though.." she looked like she was going to continue but didn't David was glad when she changed the subject be hated the mention of his powers or more rather Steelhearts powers. As good as they were, he wished they were given to someone else.

When Prof, Abraham, and Mizzy finally arrived back they were surprised to see David up and about seemingly fit as a fittle. He was dressed in thick clothing and even wore gloves, despite knowing the others probably saw him all akinny as sickly he didn't want them to see him like that, he didn't want to see himself. Theu talked that night sbout what Megan discussed with him and about what Cody discussed with him but in greater detail Mizzy seemed really excited to talk boasting about he tracking skills and how well she searched in order to find Lucid for him to take her down.

He chuckled at the thought of Mizzy taking down an epic just for him it made him feel warm and fuzzy knowing how much she cared.

That night he sat in bed exhausted but unavle to sleep Megan was fast asleep beside him her hair lose arpund her like an ocean of pure glittering gold. He could stare at her all night but that would be creepy.. he did it anyways creepy ad it was he didn't care. Looking at her kept him calm grounded him to a good reality, a reality in which he could sleep beside the woman he loved. He felt his eyes droop as he finally descended into slumber.

He opened his eyes, he was still in the room but Megan was no longer there, sitting up he noticed the floor changed to a familiar dust and blood covered tile of a bank. Slowly raising his eyes from the floor his breath shaky, his heartbeat becoming a prominent sound in his ears he looked upon him, his broken father laying there that only prompted a scream to rise from his throat. Tears cascaded down his face he looked down at his hands, the gun, the blood, they were there the evidnece on his hands.

His eyes shot open, his face was covered in seat and tears he felt like he couldn't breathe, every breath he took was painful just as the memories of the incident rushing back to him. It was so cold.

He clawed at his neck and chest hoping that would get his lungs working again or at least let the air flow through normally but that didn't seem to work. He felt Megan wrap her arms around him holding his arms down so he would stop scratching at himself. She held him close like a mother would a child rocking back and forth to soothe him and it worked. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders the calmness from earlier returning the nightmares fading into obscurity as he snuggled up to the only one he could count on for comfort right now. He drifted slowly back to sleep, this one was dreamless


	3. The third one

**important note at the end please read through it**

David stirred awake his opening to the same blank cieling of his room as always glad that what he saw wasn't a horrid memory of the past interlaced with his worst fears. He sat up looking outside at the darkness that became one with the shining light of the vibrant sun glowing from the horizon. A beautiful sight to behold but dangerous to look at for too long, especially with the buildings reflecting the light into his eyes like mirrors.

He looked beside him at Megan who was still fast asleep her hands dug under her pillow, blanket up to her chin, her hair cascading over the fabrics. He brushed some hair aside before getting up to get changed his feet tapping against the cold steel floor. He changed quickly, simple jeans and jacket over the shirt he wore to bed. He walked out of the room adjusting his jacket feeling the cold air rush in as he entered a room where the window had been left open. David looked around finding no one around as he walked towards the balcony stepping outside into the cold.

His hands gripped the railing as he stared out onto the city. He closed his eyes images of the bank popping into his mind, opening them he looked onto the city again looking down at the ground below judging the distance from the balcony to the steel concrete below. What if he... No that's stupid. He can't even fly properly he'd probably kill himself if he tried to get down there, thought there was his invulnerability that he wasn't even sure was there anymore. He gripped the railing harder feeling the metal curl under his hand.

"David?" He heard a familiar voice behind him, he turned seeing Prof standing behind him a look of disbelief on his face. The man ran to him to his surprise enveloping him in a hug, David leaned into it taking in the warmth of his embrace.

"How do you feel? You look-" Prof looked him over, his hand grazing his cheek. David turned away in a way pushing Prof's hand away from his face.

"I've been better.." David said not meeting the mans eyes, Prof led him back inside to talk though he had heard it all before he was interested in anything new Prof had to say. He was happy to hear that they'd found where Lucid was located finally. Well to him it hadn't been that long but still he would be happy to be rid of her.

"-As for your condition," David perked up both wondering what Prof meant and curious to hear what he had to say. "Do you, have them?" Before David could ask what them was Prof spoke again.

"Nightmares?" David stared out away from the man his gaze locked on the open window beside them the wind pushing the curtains around making the fabric look like an ocean of gold.

"Yes," he said meeting eyes with Prof who gave him an indifferent look. He gave a pat to Davids head before leaving to room not saying anything, why? If only David knew..

David lay in bed after a long day of not being able to get answers from anyone about anything really. It was late in the night, all David could do was stare out at the stars or maybe his cieling which reflected his tired face in the steel.

He couldn't keep doing this, he was tired of it. the nightmares, the pain, the guilt, he shot up from his bed putting on a jacket and a pair of shoes. Adjusting the buttons as he snuck through the darkened room heading towards the weapons room. Grabbing the first rifle he could get his hands on he searched for anything he could find on Lucids whereabouts. He was done waiting for his team to get their act together.

He was taking matters into his own hands.

Lucid gathered her things quietly she was finally ready to leave this town after sneaking and begging finally she got what she needed, she packed the small bag of pills up in her pouch before heading to the back room of the old storage house she'd been able to hide out in.

The door creaked as it opened the snall bit of light creeped into the now exposed room shining on the face of a small boy, sleeping soundly on a makeshift bed made of blankets and discarded clothing. Lucid stepped into the room walking over to the snoozing boy.

"Felix," She said shaking his shoulder carefully, "It's time to walk up sweetie, it's time to go," the boys eyes fluttered open, dull blues looked into purple before a smile fell on his freckled face.

"Are we going home, Mami?" He asked her recieveing a nod in reply. She began packing up some clothes and blankets, leaving a few out which she wrapped around her tiny, frail son.

Spunds could be heard from the door, gun shots. Lucid immediatly took her child in her arms running to the far corner of the room. She placed the now fearful and crying child down behind the only other thing in the room, a pile of boxes, shushing him as she placed the little belongings she had on her back beside him.

She stood up heading to meet whatever awaited her at the entrance.

David stood there shicering in only his pajamas and a jacket holding his rifle up on his shoulder. His throat stung from running all the way here still not having gotten used to flying and honestly not wanting to. This power wasn't for him to use, even if he was the one who pocessed it.

He saw her put of the corner of his eye, her hands raised above her head in surrender, training his gun on her he steppwd forward, so many thoughts and wmotions running through his head. The most prominent being the end of her leading to the end of his suffering. He felt his finger itching to press the trigger to finally end it all.

Even now he felt the voices clawing at his ear each blink of his presenting the terribe scene in front of him. Staring at Lucid standing there he felt his hands shake.

He couldn't do it, that look on her face an almost pleading look that still held a familiarity that made him think of his father, he couldn't shoot her.

Lucid looked him in the eye without saying a word she cemented her survival.

He dropped the gun.

David heard a sigh of relief comw out of the woman he was not onky moments ago dead set on killing. She collapsed to her knees hands clasped together as if she were praying.

"Thank you," he thought he heard her mutter, both looked at eachother each seemingly about to say something before the pitter patter of tiny feet interrupted them.

"Mami..?" That look made sense now, that pleading look, the one that spoke without words begging for life. She needed to live for him, but she was ready to die to protect him..

Just like..

He wondered... even if he'd done somethong back then.. if that would have changed anything..

Probably not.. His father..

'I'm sorry,'

'You don't have to be,'.

David didn't remember getting home, he almost didn't remember that useless trip he took out yesterday that resulted in him missong a gun, he remembered letting Lucid get away, he remembered a weight being lifted off his chest as he watched her go.

Now despite everything he doesn't feel changed, he doesn't feel very different, it's like despite all that happened...

He feels..

Better.

Prof steeped out onto the balcony where he stood with Megan just staring out onto the city.

"You sure she didn't do anything to make you better? On record it's said there's no way to reverse the effects?" He asked, he'd been worried this whole time and for it to just disappear seemed anticlimactic to him, though it was good, it was better than what he had in mind for a solution.

"I'm not sure," was all Davidcould say, Megan grasped her hand in his.

"Well it doesn't matter to me as long as it's over and you're okay," She said giving him a kiss before going inside leading him in with her.

He looked back watching the view fade as he was led further inside.

Was it really over though?

 **Yes thats it, thanks to another Reckoners project I've been working on and have basically devoted myself to this is over after 3 chapters of story or rather 2 chapters of story and 1 chapter of what? The truth is an event happened around the time when i was finishing this that caused me to take a break from this for so long I eventually forgot where I was going with this having not written it down like an idiot and so I came up with an ending, did it to a certain point and the rest is me desperately trying to finish because its 1 a.m. and I am tired. But still I wanted it to be at least a bit good so I hope I succeded, I hope you enjoyed and I thank you for putting up with a long wait and if you read to the end thank you for dealing with this ending.**

 **if you have better ideas for an ending or something let me know and maybe it'll become the canon end for this story I'll make a new chapter for it and everything.**

 **but yeah thas it, bye**


End file.
